What does murdered mean?
“Murdered” is the past tense and past participle of the verb “murder.” It describes the deliberate and unlawful killing of a person, distinguishing this act from a death caused by accident, natural causes, or lawful state action. The word is used in legal reporting, journalism, historical accounts, and ordinary conversation: for example, a person may be “murdered in cold blood” or simply “murdered.” In constructions such as “the murdered witness,” it functions attributively and identifies someone who has been unlawfully killed. The term carries a strong association with intentional violence and is typically serious in tone. Although “killed” is broader and can be neutral, “murdered” makes the alleged or established illegality of the killing explicit.
verbThe past tense and past participle of murder, meaning to kill someone unlawfully and deliberately.
- Killed unlawfully and deliberately.
- Having been killed unlawfully and deliberately, especially when used attributively.
"The witnesses alleged that the journalist was murdered in cold blood."
"The tenant was murdered after disputing the lease with the landlord."
"The report described the murdered officer without naming any suspects."
A person may be killed, but saying someone was murdered specifically identifies the death as deliberate and unlawful.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does murdered come from?
The modern form consists of the verb stem “murder” plus the regular English past-tense and participial ending “-ed.” “Murder” entered Middle English from Old French forms associated with killing, and it is related to Germanic vocabulary for violent killing, including Old English “mord” and Old Norse “mord.” The sense of deliberate unlawful killing became firmly established in English law and general usage.
Related word forms
How murdered is actually used
The form is standard in legal, journalistic, and general contexts. In “murdered witness,” it is an attributive participle and does not itself normally function as a full adjective.
Easily confused with murdered
“Murdered” is the established past tense and past participle of murder; “murdder” is not a standard English word.